Why do we yawn? What effect does that action have?
Everyone has to yawn. Neither you, your parents, or the “boss” of your cat, or the “boss” of your dog. All yawned. Nor can we resist or resist it. Simply yawn. And that yawn has existed since the advent of mankind.
It’s not until now that people wonder about it, and in the past we’ve had several theories about it.
Around 400 BC, the philosopher Hippocrates once suggested that yawning is a state of releasing toxic gases from the lungs, before we get sick. By the 17th and 18th centuries, doctors believed that yawning increased oxygen in the blood, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and helped blood flow more vigorously.
And most recently, theories have leaned towards the idea that yawning helps the brain cool down. That is, if the outside temperature is hotter, the frequency of yawning will increase.
Everyone yawns.
But despite the many theories, the truth is that science still cannot touch its true nature. Why do we yawn? What science does know is that all animals yawn, and they yawn when they’re tired, or perhaps to intimidate others.
Also, a very interesting point, is that yawning is contagious – especially in highly social species such as chimpanzees, bonobos, yellow-tailed macaques, wolves, and even humans.
Meaning that seeing someone yawn also inadvertently makes you want to yawn more. The reason given is because at that time, our brains are activated for empathy and social interaction.
And even yawning is contagious from one species to another.
The species we mean here are humans and the “boss” dogs. In 2011, an experiment in the UK showed that at least 5 out of 19 dogs that participated in a test yawned to a person, even if the person was not familiar with it. In 2013, another larger study added to those results, showing that dogs are more likely to yawn when they see their owners do so.
Seeing humans yawn makes dogs feel more stressed, so they yawn to relieve it.
The reason for this spread is also not clear. Some experts from the University of Nebraska think it has something to do with cortisol levels : seeing people yawn makes dogs feel more stressed, so they yawn to relieve them. Subsequent studies, however, failed to show any relevant evidence.
But in short, you need to understand that yawning is one of the most mysterious phenomena of man. We still yawn without understanding why we do it, nor can we resist.